do not date a girl
who writes.
she will internalize
everything,
carve poems
into your eyelashes
instead of
kissing them,

she will analyze you,
calculate age
from the rings
your coffee cup
leaves
instead of refilling it.

she will memorize
the way your
lips curl around steam,
but not that you
take it
two sugars,
no cream.

she will read your
palm instead of
holding it
against her chest.

she will not
blink
when you leave,
because she is
already
romanticizing it.

red hot labels
scarred my skin
like an animal
being prepared for slaughter
I close my eyes
all I can see
are lies
burned into the back of my mind
I was branded
worthless
until my blood became fire
I cut open skin
my flame burned them all
and I branded myself with a blade
beautiful

I ran away from you, because you were hurting me. I don't know if you meant to, or if you even knew that you were.

But I was flower gardens and lemonade and you were cigarettes and police cars. You brought out darkness from the depth of my soul.

I was so fragile and gentle, and you knocked me around and bruised my heart. You laughed at my tears

So I needed to leave, and I know there were times when you planted seeds in my garden and encouraged me to grow into tall flowers. But those seeds transformed into weeds and they killed me and I'm sorry

(G.L) // I was always saying sorry

purple prints
smudged on the canvas
of white skin
the only remnants
of the great requited love
that once softened our bones
waves of passion
that broke onto
the beach of violence
blame
and bruises

FOUR YEARS AGO
I REALIZED WHO I WAS
RESENTMENT FOR YOU
BUILT WALLS OF STEEL
I WAS YOUNG
WHEN YOU TAUGHT ME
THE MEANING
OF HIPOCRACY
YOU SCRAPED MEANINGLESS
WORDS TOGETHER
BUT THEY WERE
WEAK
AND THE WALLS
STOOD TALL
YOUR ABSENCE
WAS THE LOUDEST
MESSAGE I HAVE EVER RECEIVED
IT HOLDS MY HEAD
BENEATH THE WATER
AND AS I SINK TO THE BOTTOM
OF YOUR SHALLOW OCEAN
I WILL NEVER KNOW TRUST
ONLY SELF HATRED
AND THE HOLLOW SHELL
OF WHAT A FATHER IS